The quintessential dish of Rome. Although Spaghetti Carbonara is one of the most imitated recipes in the world with a multitude of variations, the original recipe calls for just a few ingredients: Italian guanciale (pork jowl or cheek), Pecorino Romano, black pepper and fresh eggs. This recipe uses only traditional ingredients and and is made without the cream, onion or peas often seen in Italian restaurants abroad.
1tbspblack pepperfreshly ground at a medium coarse setting
3.5ozpecorino romano cheesefinely grated; use semi-hard if you can find it
6 ¾cupswaterfor cooking the pasta
coarse saltto taste
4egg yolks
1whole eggs
5ozguancialeor pancetta
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
Freshly grate the pecorino with the finest setting available. You may use a food processor to do this quickly. Set aside.
3.5 oz pecorino romano cheese
Freshly grind the black pepper using a medium-coarse setting. You can use a mortar and pestle if you prefer. Toast the pepper over very low heat just until you can smell it. Then, remove it from the heat and set aside.
1 tbsp black pepper
Fry the Guanciale
Cut the guanciale into strips (about 1 inch x 1/3 of an inch). Fry the strips of guanciale in an uncreased pan over low heat.
5 oz guanciale
When the fat on the guanciale begins to turn transparent, increase the heat to medium. Continue frying the guanciale until it is golden brown and crispy. Set aside. Leave the guanciale grease in the pan. We will finish the dish in this pan.
Make the Sauce
Combine one whole egg with 4 egg yolks and the pecorino cheese.
4 egg yolks, 1 whole eggs
Whisk the ingredients until smooth and creamy. Set the bowl aside.
Cook the Pasta
In a medium-large pot, bring 6 ¾ cups of water to boil.
6 ¾ cups water
Cook the spaghetti about 3/4 of the time listed on the package instructions. Cook the spaghetti in a little less water than you normally would—this will create a pasta water with more starch. We want to use the starchy pasta water to finish the spaghetti in the skillet.Halfway through the cook time, add a handful of coarse salt to the pasta water.
11 oz spaghetti, coarse salt
Drain the pasta and immediately transfer it to the pan with the guanciale grease. Add a ladle of the pasta water to the pan along with the spaghetti. Toss the spaghetti with the grease and the pasta water.
Add half a ladle of the hot pasta water to the egg and pecorino, whisking continuously as you add it.
The result will be a creamier, shiny sauce.
Finish the Pasta
Off the heat, immediately add the egg sauce to the still-hot spaghetti in the pan.
Stir continuously with tongs to combine the carbonara sauce with the spaghetti. The still hot spaghetti will continue cooking and will cook the egg sauce a bit as well, melting the pecorino.
Add the toasted black pepper...
... and the fried guanciale. Continue mixing. The sauce will thicken as you stir.
When the sauce is no longer runny, immediately plate and serve!
Buon appetito!
Video
Notes
Not Pancetta?Guanciale is considered more traditional than pancetta here. However, even in Italy, restaurants will sometimes use pancetta. So, if that’s what you can find or prefer, go for it!Finely grate the cheese!Be sure to use finely grated pecorino cheese. If you use a food processor to grate the pecorino from a wedge, use a fork to push the grated cheese through a fine strainer to create a fine powder.